1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to pet accessories, and more particularly, to pet food dish assemblies.
2. Other Related Applications
The present application claims priority of pending U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/683,083, filed on Aug. 14, 2012, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
3. Description of the Related Art
Known pet food containers are widely used in outdoor areas and are at risk of being overrun by crawling insects. Several food bowls for pets have been designed in the past with the intent of preventing ant and insect access to pet food.
Applicant believes that one of the closest references corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 5,647,299 B1 issued to Pearson-Falcon on Jul. 15, 1997 for a pet food bowl. However, it differs from the present invention because Pearson-Falcon teaches a pet food bowl that includes a protection against small crawling insects to prevent the latter from reaching the food contained therein. The bowl has a container assembly and a protective removable annular cover that can be readily mounted over the water channel formed in said bowl. The design is particularly helpful for cleaning the bowl and having access to all of its parts. The lower peripheral wall extends outwardly at an angle to improve the structural stability of the bowl and preventing accidentally tipping it over. The cover includes a slanted wall that matches the inclination of the upper wall so that it can be aligned and frictionally locked in place, if needed. The water channel that prevents the small insects from crossing to the area where the food is has sufficiently large dimensions to prevent the average insect from reaching it. The opening between the cover and the channel is sufficiently small to prevent the pet from drinking the water.
Other patents describing the closest subject matter provide for a number of more or less complicated features that fail to solve the problem in an efficient and economical way. None of these patents suggest the novel features of the present invention.